* * * * *I really can't see the problem as far as the average
landlubber is concerned and that must constitute the vast majority of
the audience. *The term "gale force" when referring to gusts is simply
a shorthand way of saying 39-46 mph and as long as it is not implied
that the mean speed is gale force then I see nothing wrong with it.

Tudor Hughes- Hide quoted text -


But gusts of 39-46 don't represent a gale, probably typical of a Force
6.

In the last 10 years I've recorded 511 days (14% of the total) with
gusts of 39mph or over, and I'm in a sheltered spot away from the sea
front. It's making the word gale almost meaningless. I suppose by
downgrading the use of the word, it allows 'gale' to be used in the
inland SE, who would never get a look in otherwise.

Graham
Penzance